People in Wales are the most generous in the UK, national poll reveals

20 November 2015

Wales found to be most generous nation in the UK with 80% of people there donating to charity in past year

Findings hailed by musician and broadcaster Cerys Matthews ahead of the global day of giving #GivingTuesday on 1 December

Wales is the most generous nation in the UK, data from a nationwide study into charitable giving has revealed.

New figures published today by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) reveal that 80% of people living in Wales said they had donated money to charity in the previous year.

Northern Ireland is the second most charitable region with 75% of people donating money in the previous year, followed by 65% of people in Scotland. In England 62% of the population said they had given money away to charity in the previous 12 months.

The data is published ahead of #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving on December 1, following Black Friday and Cyber Monday. People in countries across the world will be marking the day by making donations, volunteering their time or simply spreading the word about a good cause. The campaign, led by CAF, being held in the UK for the second time.

The campaign is supported by a wide range of celebrities and sports stars, including musician and broadcaster Cerys Matthews, Olympic gold medallist Hannah Cockcroft, Downton Abbey’s Joanna Froggatt, former Dr Who David Tennant, and TV presenter Dan Snow.

Cerys Matthews said: "Wales is a generous nation and it's wonderful to see that this is recognised in the research. By donating money to causes you care about, it's a step towards helping to make a difference in the world. The #GivingTuesday campaign is an opportunity for everyone to come together and contribute to the invaluable work done by charities. On 1 December I'll be supporting Shelter Cymru which helps homeless people in Wales."

Last year - the first time #GivingTuesday came to the UK – the Prime Minister and celebrities including Helen Mirren and Rita Ora all publicly supported the campaign. #GivingTuesday trended on Twitter for 11 hours on the day, and the wave of celebrity and social media support came alongside a spike in donations to charities. Visa donations were up 10% compared to 2013, equating to £2,500 per minute and JustGiving reported a 45% increase in donations to previous years.

This year more than 1,200 charities, businesses and organisations - including Save the Children, RBS, Morrisons and Help for Heroes - will be involved in the day. This includes dozens of Welsh charities such as children’s hospice Tŷ Hafan, equality charity Diverse Cymru, the YMCA Cardiff, and substance misuse charity New Link Wales.

Previous research by CAF suggests that one in three people in the UK plan to make a charitable donation on #GivingTuesday.

Kim Roberts, the UK #GivingTuesday Campaign Manager said: “People across the UK are incredibly generous and supportive to causes they care about – whether they are local community initiatives or national charities.

“There is an enormous number of charities and businesses making plans for #GivingTuesday and the day is set to be bigger and better this year. We are calling on everyone, everywhere to seize whatever opportunity they can to get involved.”

Tŷ Hafan, based in south Wales, organised a ‘Dig it out, Bag it up, Drop it off’ campaign on #GivingTuesday last year.

Matt Williams, Retail General Manager at Tŷ Hafan, said: “We were thrilled with the response last year, with over 500 extra donation bags collected which equates to £25,000 raised to support children with life-limiting conditions and their families.

“We are very excited about joining #GivingTuesday again this year, with plans for an online and radio campaign, using celebrity engagement to help spread the message ‘Dig it out, Bag it up, Drop it off’.”

Notes for editors:

1The data was collected from adults aged 16 and over in the United Kingdom in 2014. The survey ran in February, May, August and November and was conducted by market researchers GfK NOP who carried out 5,068 face-to-face interviews. Results: Those donating to charity in the past year (population): Wales – 80%; Northern Ireland – 75%; Scotland – 65%; England – 62%

2 #GivingTuesday started in the UK in 2014, and is now in over ten countries including New Zealand, Brazil and Germany. It began life in the USA in 2012 by 92nd Street Y in partnership with the United Nations Foundation. For a list of all the partners and a break down region by region click here

3The Charities Aid Foundation is a UK-based global charity whose mission is to motivate society to give ever more effectively, helping to transform lives and communities